German word

nu

Pronunciation

IPA/nuː/

Meaning

  • interjectioncome on

Example

Nu, komm doch mit!

Come on, come along!

Illustration for nu (come on)

More examples

Nu sag mal, was ist passiert?

Come on, tell me what happened?

Core concept

A small spoken nudge that marks a turn in the conversation and pushes the next move forward.

Common phrases

  • Nu sag mal

    Come on, tell me

  • Nu sei ehrlich

    Come on, be honest

Similar words

Na: A casual prompt inviting agreement or a reaction.
Nun: A gentle conversational lead-in before moving to the next point.
Los: A brisk prompt urging immediate action.

Definition in German

Kurzform von „nun“; umgangssprachliches Ausrufewort, das einen Übergang einleitet oder zum Weiterreden bzw. Handeln auffordert.

Word origin

Nu is the colloquial shortening of nun, whose history reaches through Old and Middle High German to the inherited Germanic form *nu.

Usage tips

  • In this interjectional use, nu is colloquial and its tone can sound like a transition or a prompt, so English now is not always the best translation.

Other meanings

  • wellinterjection
  • nowadverb

Word lists with this word